WM-EX30

The WM-EX30 is a standard playback Walkman that brought auto-reverse into the ordinary end of Sony's early EX lineup without surrounding it with much extra complexity. It uses a plastic two-AA body with anti-rolling support, automatic tape cut-off, a cassette window, and manual tape selection, staying focused on uninterrupted playback and general reliability instead of on sound processing or cosmetic flourish. This model was clearly built to be uses often and without much thought.

EX30 suggests how thoroughly Sony had normalized auto-reverse by then. What had once been a feature of more specialized or expensive machines had become something that could simply sit inside a functional everyday player.